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16 AIl .rrM~nt. h~ir, who is cited hy Ihc anc~nor's
CWEI'" in , r"lcefs for r'ym~nl, if hc cff~rs any pcrcmp'
tol'y dcf~nce 'C.lmll lhe d~bl, incurs , PlOive title ; fur
he c<n Il.Ive nu interell to ohjeé) ag. i",' il, bUI in the
clm,,')er of heir. lo lhe (dme manocr, lhe beir's nOI
reooun~ing "poo , ch"gc 10 enler heir, infers il: But
¡he effoét of buth thefe ISlimiled to lhe fpeel," debl pu r
{uetl iur, or eh"eed upon. This paflivc litle, which is
io(errcd from the heir's 001 reoouncing, h,s no eifcét
lil! decree pali agaioa him; , nd even a reounciation
o/fered aflcr ¿ecrce, if Ihe clecree be in abfenee, will
inlitle lhe heir 10 a fu(penfion of all diligence againl!
his perf~o and eam, compelent upon his anceHor's
debts.
37. ,By Ihe priociples of the feudal law, ao heir, when
he is ro compleat hls mies by fpecial fenice, mul! necef·
faril, pa(s over his im:nedim anceaor, e. g. his father,
if he w" nol iofcft; and ("ve heir tO th.1 ancellor \IIho
w,s lan vea aDd (eifcd in thc right, .od in who(e heredilol
joCtm the right mola remain, till • litle be cooneéted
Iherelo from him . As thisbore hard upon creditors, who
might think thcm(el..s (ecure io contfdéting with , pero
ron whom they (aw for (ome lime in the poll'eOion of an
ellale, .nd from thenceconcludethat it WJS leeally vefled
in him ; il is therefore plOvided, Ih:1I every perfuo, paf.
fi og over his immediale aneeaor who had beco Ihree yea!'s
in poffdiivn, aod ferving heir tu one mOle remote, ¡hall
beliable for the debts and deeds of lhe perfon interjeéted,
lo the value of Ihe eflate 10 which he is (erved. This
being correlloryof Ihe feodal maxims, has been ariétly
inlerpreted, fo as nOI 10 eXlend 10 Ihe gratuilou! deeds
of Ihe per(on interjeéted, nor 10 the cafe where Ihe in·
terjeét!d perfon was a naked fiar, and poffeff,d only ci·
vdly Ihrough Ihe liferenter
38, Qur law, (rom its jealoufy of Ihe weakoefs ofman·
kind while IInder fieknefs. and of Ihe importunity of
friend; on Ihal oceafion, has declared Ihal all deeds af·
feéting heritage, if Ihey be granled bY' per(on on death ·
hed, (i. r. after contralling Ihat úcknefs which ends in
death), 10Ihe damage of Ihe heir, are ine/feétual, exeepl
\IIhere the debts of the grantcr have laid him ullder a neo
ceOily 10 alien his lands. As this law of dmhbed is
founded foldy in the privilege of the heir, deathbed·
decds, \Vhen confenled 10 byIhe hei r, are nOI reducible,
T he term prop~rly oppofed 10 dealh be.1is li'l e poujlie,
. hy J.IIhich is und" aood a Itate of he.lith; and it Ihal
name, becaufe perfoos in h~ahh h~ve Ihe I,gitimo pOlef
lal, ·or I,wful power of difpofing of their propeny al
pleafore.
·39. The IWO eXlrCmes being proved, of Ihe gr~nter's
fi ckne(s immedialcly before figning. and o( his dm h fol
lowing il, Ihough al the gremlt cliltdnce of time, dld,
by our former I~w, ("uod a prefumplion that Ihe dced
WaS granled nn dealh hcd, whicn could nOI have been
eliderl, bUI by a POfilil'c prnor o( Ihe granlcr's convale·
fCl nee ; bll t nolV Ihe all'gAlion of am h bcd is al(o e:{·
c1u'led, hy his havillg lived fi xly a(lCr ligni n~ Ihe
deed. The Ieg,1evidence of con'Jle(ccnce is the ~rAnt·
er's having b:'cII, '(Icr Ihe ciare ofl he deeJ, at kilk 0/1
m~rkel IIn(upp"rle.! ; fllr . proo( 01ei lher \\ ill fccure Ihe
d·;·;d fmm ch,llItn~e. Thc gtlin& tQ kirk or n1.trku md!
V OL. If. No. 66, l'
w,
bc p" formco, IVhcn people aremel to~cthcr in Ihe ,hurch
or ehurchyarcl ror any public Olw iAg, eivd or cccldiafli·
cal, nr in Ihe markel pldce at Ihe lime o( public Olarke',
No other proof o( con". lefcenee i! " eeive,ble, becau(e.1
kirk ,nll markel Ihcre are al ways prcr.:nl unfu(p<ékd
wilndres, which we (dn hardly be lure of in any olÍler
cafe.
40. The privilege of fwing afidedeeds ex Copil, fetli,
is eompmnt 10 all heirs, nOI tO heirs oflioe only, but of
eooquell, I, ilzie, or provifion; not on1 y 10 Ihe imOledi· ·
ale, hUI to remoter helrs, as foon as Ihe fucceOion o·
peos 10 them, BUI, where it is con(eoled loor mi·
Iicd by Ihe immedim hcir, il is fecured againlt all chal·
lenge even from the remoter. Yet ,he Immediate heir
e,nnOI, byany anlecedenl writing, renounce his right of
redu/l ion, and thereby give flrengtb 10 deeds Ihal mal'
be.fterwards ~flnted i" Id i. to his hllr!; for no priv~le
renuneiarion c.n aUlhorife a perron to . él COotrary to R
publie law; and fueh renuneialion is prefumtd 10 be ex·
loned through the lear of exhcredation. If Ihe heir
fhould not u(e this privilegeof reduétion, hismditor mil',
by ,djudication, transfer il 10 himlclf, nr he Illay wilh·
OUt adjudication, reduce Ihe dced, "belling upon his in·
terell as ered;tor lO Ihe heir : BUI Ihe granrer's creditors
have n.o righl to t~is privilege, in regarr! Ihat Ihe laIV of
death·bed IVa! introduced, nUI in of the granler
himfclf, hUI of his heir.
41 . The laIV of dealh·hed IIrikes againll difpofilions of
every fubjell 10 IVhich Ihe heir would ha,'e fuccced·
ed, or from whieh he would h~ve had any benefit, had
il nol becn fo Idi(poned, De.&Ihbed·deeds granted in
con(equenee of a full or properobligatioo in h'g<poujlie,
are nOI fubjeét 10 reoullion : b~I, \\ hcre Ihe anlee=deOI
obligalion i$ merely nalural. they are reducible, By
aronger reafon, Ihe deceafed eaonOl, by a deed merely
volunlary, alter Ihe nalure o( his eaate on dealb beo 10
Ihe prejudice of h s hei r, fo as from herilable 10 make it
moveable; bUI if he fhou ld, in liege po"jlie, exclude
his apparenl heir, by an irrevocable decd eontaining re·
ferved facu!ties, the heir caooot be heard 10 quarrel the
cxereifcof the(e facullies 00 dwh·bed.
42 , In a comp~tition bellVeen the credilors of the
dmafed and of the heir, our lalV has jullly preferred Ihe
eredilors of Ihe deeeafed, as cvery man's cnate oughl 10
be liable, in Ihe firf! place, (or his OlVn debt. BUI Ihis
preferen:eis, bythea"UIC, limired 10 the c.re.where Ihe
credilors of Ihe decea(cd have u(ed diligence . gaina Iheir
deblor's eaale, IVithin three years from his death; and
there(ore Ihe heir's credilors m,y, afrer Ih~l period, af·
reét it for their OIVO paymenl. AII difpolili ons by an heir,
of the ancenor's elt. te, wilhin ayear arter his d" th, are
null, in fo far as Ihey are hurtful t~ the creditors of the
~ncellor. This I:&kes place, Ihough Ihefecrrdil o&! OlOuld
hJ'C u(ed no ddi~enec, ami evcn \IIhere Ihe cll(pofi,ions
aregranlcd a(ler the year: Il is Ihought Iheyare Incfr,·c·
lu,1'~,Iinlllhc credilOrs o( Ihe dcceafLd I',oho hal'e u(e,!
dlligen(c wilhin the thrce )'cars.
Tic. 2R. Of Succrffiotl il/ M01)Cn!J/eJ,
IN Ihe (ucccflion of movcahle riG'm, it is an univcrr."
10 E 2 rlllel